Railway-tie



(No Model.) J. .S AMMON.

RAILWAY TIE.

No. 328,632. Patented Oct.- 20, 1885.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES S. AMMON, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAI LWAY-Tl E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,632, dated October 20, 1885.

Application filed April 8, 1885. Serial No. 161,762. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES S. AMMoN,acitizen of the United States, residing at the city of Reading, county of Berks, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway-Ties, of which the following is a specification.

This improvement is related to railway-ties constructed of metal, preferably of steel, and are rolled to form, being subsequently cut to the proper length for the road bed.

The object of theimprovementis to secure a cheap, simple, and reliable tie, not liableto get out of order, that will have sufficient strength and elasticity to prevent injury to the rolling stock, and that will preserve the alignment of the rails. These objects are attained in the use of the tie shown in the accompanying drawings, upon which similar letters indicate similar parts.

' Figure 1 represents one tie in perspective, showing the rail secured to the same at one end and thesaddle unoccupied at the opposite end. Fig. 2 is apartial front elevation ofthe tie upon an enlarged scale, showing the saddle secured to the same, with the rail seated thereon and secured thereto. Fig. 3 represents an end view of the tie and saddle, partly in section,upon the line an of Fig. 2, showing the clips that retain the rail in place. Fig. 4 is a top plan of the saddle, showing the side notches for the clips and the top rivets by which it is secured to the crown of the tie; Fig. 5, a transverse sectional view of the saddle on the line b b of Fig. 3, showing the tightening and washer clips with the through-bolt common to both; Fig. 6, adetached view of the foot-clamp. Fig. 7 represents an alternative form of rail-support and clip-block.

The tie A is so constructed that it may be rolled to form, and, as preferably manufactured, has a vertical height of five or more inches, with a spread of base of ten or more inches. About one and one-half inch is left upon each side as horizontal flanges or feet A, and the top or crown A is rounded to about one and one-half inch dead flat. The crown is made about one-half inch thick, with sides and flanges or feet of about five-sixteenths of an inch thick, the sidesAbeing made convex, as shown, to give elasticity to the tie.

The clamps B are of plain bar-iron about two by one-half inches, and are bent at each end of the proper length and form to look within the notches A ofthe tie. The notches A and the rivet-holes for the saddle are punched out by suitable tools provided for that purpose.

Ois the saddle or rail-support,which is rolled as a bar of the section shown,with ribs C,forming a seat for the rail between the same,and is subsequently cut to length, then put under a press provided with suitable punches and dies. When the notches 0* for the clips and the rivetholes whereby it is secured to the tie, are all produced at one operation, being afterward heated, the pieces are by suitable machinery bent to form, as shown, with loops 0 and feet 0 and are then riveted in place upon the tie; or, for convenience of shipment, the saddles may be secured to the ties after their delivery upon the road.

The clamps are applied to the feet of the ties by compressing the feet or base sufficient to permit the clamp B to slip over the feet until it arrives at the notch A, when, the compression ceasing, the spring of the tie locks the clamp in place, audit can only be removed by a repetition of the compression.

The saddles will be made interchangeable and the ties punched for their reception so as to adapt them to the required gage of the track. The loops 0 of the saddle, each side of the tie, form pockets for the passage of the clip-bolts D, and guides for the bosses E of the grippingelip E, provided with an angular head, Efland tail E At the opposite side of the raila plain washer-clip, F, is provided, and the grippingclips E are preferably placed at diagonallyopposite sides of the rail; but,ifconsidered advisable,the gripping-clips may be used at each end of the bolt D. The angular head E is so constructed relative to the base of the rail that it will pinch upon the same before the clips can bottom in the notches 0", thus permitting a readjustment should there beanylateral motion acquired by use. The nuts D will be secured by nut-locks of suitable form.

The rail G may be removed for repairs without disturbing the ties. Simply loosening the nuts D and slipping back the clips E F permits the rail to be lifted clear of the ties.

In Fig. 7 an alternative construction is shown. In this casethe tie is notched at H and undercut at H, and subsequently the material between the cuts H and H is removed, the width between the cuts being of sufficient width to receive the rail-base flange under the lip H, and a clip-block, 1, upon the opposite side of the flange-bolts I looking the rail and block in place.

A re-enforce plate, J, of a width and form adapted to close the gap in the tie, is secured thereto by rivets'J, and provides a seat for the railand the grip-block, by which it is secured. Preference is given to the first construction described, as being more easily and cheaply constructed.

The ties, prior to being laid, may beprotected by a coating of as-phaltum or the use of the Barf process. It is supposed, however. that the vibration occasioned by passing trains will in itself be all the protection needed, as it hasbeen found in actual practice to prevent the wasting away of iron broughtwithin such influence.-

It is believed that the time has arrived for an iron, steel, or metallic tie to supplant the wooden one, the difficulty of securing good wooden ties becoming more felt as the depletion of our hard-wood forests and the track-mileage of the railways increase from year to year.

I am aware thatIam notthe first to construct metallic ties of a reversed V form, (see Patents No. 257 ,437 May 2, 1882, H. De Zabala, and No. 227,602, May 11, 1880, D. S. Whittenhall,) the first a single and the latter a compound tie of a V form; but both have the legs of the V straight, and are therefore rigid when the weight of the passingtrain is thrown upon them; whereas my railway-tie is rolled with the legs of the V concave upon their outer faces and convex upon-their inner faces, whereby a certain and positive resilience is given to the tie under the weight of moving trains.

Having shown the construction, use, and advantages of theimproved metallic railway-tie, I desire to secure by Letters Patent the following claims thereon:

1. A metallic railway-tie formed byrolling, stamping, or equivalent means, of a reversed V form in section, the sides or legs of which are made concave on their outer and convex upon their inner faces, and having the feet notched for clamps, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 2. In combination with a metallic tie, as described, a seat, bearing, or saddle, constructed in the form shown, connected at the top and sides with the tie, provided with loops 0., for the passage of the transverse clip-bolts D,and notches C"-,for the reception of the clips, substantially as and for the purpose declared. 3. In combination with a metallic tie and its saddle or seat, as described, and the railseated upon the same, the angular headed grippingclips E at opposite sides of the rail-flange,with washer-clips F and the transverse bolt D, substantially as shown, and for the purpose set forth.

' JAMES s AMMON.

\Vitnesses:

JAMEs R. KENNEY, W. Y. LYON. 

